Cracking the Stone
by Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet
Summary: It took two centuries for New Trollmarket to fall, but it was really only a matter of time. Humans discovered trolls in the worst way possible, and the government didn't want to take chances, capturing or killing any troll they found. That's when Merlin finally decides to do something about it. He wants to send someone to the past, but is left with only one option: Zelda Nomura.
1. Chapter 1

_Feb 2nd 2215_

The halls weren't a pure white, even at their cleanest, but the monchrome of off-whites and grays, designed more for functionality than aesthetic, were well-cared for. Not exactly unexpected as that tended to be the norm for any functioning government building. The long stretches of halls lined with mostly empty 5' x 8' cells sat unnaturally silent except for the whistling of a haunting melody. It started slowly, then picked up speed as each musical phrase passed. Once the tune ended, a couple of moments of silence would descend, only to be broken as the song began slowly once again.

The notes wound down the hall, somehow teasing the overly-processed air. Nothing answered the tune. No one bothered to listen. Zelda Nomura didn't care. She just kept whistling so as to give herself some comfort in this new prison. She sat in one of the small cells, leaning against a wall as she tried to ignore the energy shield that kept her in place, just as she had for the last several days, or feeding cycles at least. She tried not to move often, nursing her cracked skin as she tried very hard not to compare the situation to her experience in the darklands all those centuries ago. The biggest difference was the light shining down from the harsh, florescent fixtures. Didn't they ever turn these blasted things off? She couldn't decide which was worse: perpetual darkness, or perpetual light.

She didn't know how long she'd been there as she'd stopped counting the feeding periods. In all honesty, she didn't know if she cared anymore. She couldn't even really entertain the ideas of escape. There was nowhere to go, after all. So she sat under the unforgiving lights and whistled, unable to stop herself from hoping for a response... because she knew he wouldn't leave without her. Just like last time.

With every day that no answer came, she grew more and more worried – more and more convinced that this really was the end... for all trolls. There was no way to know how many of them still remained – full or changeling – as they'd all been completely cut off from one another; from everything except the hallway outside their small rooms. She couldn't break through the walls (she'd tried) or the floor (she'd tried) or the ceiling (she'd tried) or the energy shield (she wasn't stupid enough to try that one). No one was in the room across from her and she couldn't hear even the barest yells or sobs from further away anymore.

Nomura had always been a solitary creature, but she'd grown to loathe this isolation. Not being alone, per se, but the solitary confinement – the lack of freedom to choose company or not. Part of her wanted to know what had happened to her fellow trolls... part of her really didn't. Part of her hoped they'd gotten away somehow – against all odds – but part of her still felt a vindictive sort of glee at their comeuppance (the prejudice had never really faded completely).

But more often than not recently, all of her emotion would retreat in her mind, smothered under a blanket of exhaustion and depression.

Not that she'd ever let it show. No matter how tired she was, she would prefer to go down fighting.

So she kept listening for an answer to her song, even if she no longer expected one.

Which was why the distant rumble interrupting the monotonous silence (beside her song) surprised her. She paused and listened, but nothing reached her ears for several seconds... and then... more rumbling. And more. It sounded closer than it had before. Was it coming her way?

Suddenly, the hallway was filled with smoke and she saw humans run past, yelling and shouting about a breach.

She didn't know what was going on, but that didn't stop her from falling into old habits and getting ready to pounce the moment the opportunity struck... _if_ it struck.

A couple of minutes passed by with nothing happening except a bunch of distant yelling, and then gun and energy shots thundered through the halls, deafening in contrast to the former silence. Then, they cut off and the soldiers that had run by before literally flew backwards, past her cell with a loud boom. She just stared after them for a couple of moments before turning to see a single figure walk hurriedly down the hall. Her heart rose in her chest before she could stop it, and she leaned as close to the energy shield as she possibly could. The figure came through the smoke, caught sight of her and stopped, looking pleased.

"Ah, Nomura."

The pink-skinned changeling just stared at the figure outside of her shield.

"Merlin."

"How about I release you from there?" he asked, swiping a card of some kind through the lock outside her room.

She could only stare at him, wondering if she'd finally cracked. She could barely comprehend it. Merlin never did anything for others. They had all fully expected him to leave them to rot as far as she knew. So seeing him here... it had to be some sort of hallucination, right? Had pixies somehow gotten into the building?

Either Merlin didn't notice her shock, or didn't care enough to acknowledge it. Instead he just turned his head to look down the smoky hall. "Do you know where the Trollhunter is?"

That's when her stare shifted to a glare. That was too much like Merlin for this to be a hallucination. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm simply a happy accident? A means to an end." Like usual. Of course, that's why she'd liked the kid so much. He'd been one of the few people who didn't think that way.

"Does it matter?" Merlin asked as the shield fell.

Nomura didn't answer.

The old man shifted away from her and strode down the hall, peering into the different cells. They came across a few statues, but no one else alive. Nomura could only glance at the remains grimly, thankful that the kid wasn't there. He'd beat himself up way too much over this.

"Are there any other trolls alive?" she asked quietly, needing to know the answer somehow.

"Yes," Merlin replied.

A slight weight lifted from her shoulders. "Where are they?"

"I'm sending them to Avalon," he said, holding up his left hand. On it, she saw a stone that glistened with magic. She'd never seen that ring before.

"You can open the gateway from here?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Only after decades of work," he responded, putting his hand down again. "I've been planning on doing this for a while now."

"And let me guess, you weren't going to let the trolls have any say in it, were you."

"Do you have a choice?" he asked, shaking his head. "It was only a matter of time before the humans discovered you. I knew a solution would be necessary."

"Why didn't you just have us travel over to England? Isn't that where the known portal is?"

"And risk discovery? It was getting difficult enough to use the Gyres without humans –" he stopped as several men rounded the corner and lifted their guns to shoot. They didn't get a chance before Merlin had waved his hand, the staff of Avalon appearing in it as he swept it forward with that loud boom from before. The men flew to the opposite side of the hallway and stayed there, stuck to the walls in a heap. Merlin just continued forward and the staff vanished again. He hadn't been able to do that the last time Nomura had seen him... "It was getting difficult enough to use the gyres once or twice a month without humans suspecting something. A mass movement like that would have drawn all of the unwanted attention we were trying to avoid."

"That wasn't your decision to make!"

"Wasn't it?" Merlin asked before he stopped by a cell and looked inside. Another statue of a troll sat in the corner. It took Nomura a couple of minutes to realize that the troll was alive. She almost allowed herself to let out a relieved breath.

Almost.

Sighing, the old wizard swiped his card through the reader that would open the cell and held out his hand to the troll, who finally turned glazed eyes up to him. Then those eyes widened.

"My dear, let me send you somewhere safer," he said as he held out his hand with the ring on it. The troll, Nomura wasn't sure of her name, lifted her hand slowly, as if not believing what was in front of her (Nomura could relate). Then her eyes drifted over to the changeling and paused for a moment. Nomura grit her teeth but otherwise didn't react. Then the troll seemed to take that as a good sign, as she steeled herself and she grabbed Merlin's hand. A portal opened beneath her and she fell through it, shrieking.

Nomura rolled her eyes as the portal closed. That was so like Merlin.

"There is a system of caves in Avalon that I've set this portal for. I am sending as many trolls there as I possibly can."

They took off down the halls again. Nomura rolled her eyes. Even when saving people, he was still an oblivious jerk.

"I've discovered your motto: Too little, too late," she said dryly, regaining her composure.

She saw him clench his jaw, but he didn't respond as he continued on his way.

"Why are you doing this?" she had to ask as they reached what would normally be a door, but now seemed to be a slab of metal. Merlin studied it for several seconds before he put the hand with the ring on it to the material. A large mass of energy spiraled from it, and when he took his hand away, he left perfect hole, at least two feet in diameter, cut through the block.

Nomura stared. The last she knew, he couldn't do that either. Was he sending _everything_ to Avalon? Not that the trolls wouldn't mind the snacks, but still.

He stepped calmly through the door, waving his staff at the people on the other side. That boom was getting really annoying. The opposing humans all shot up to the ceiling and hung there.

The changeling had to grudgingly admit, she was impressed... and a little thankful. She was still wounded from the fall of New Trollmarket and wasn't sure how good she'd be in a fight. Of course, that made her wonder why Merlin wanted her along. She could hear and potentially see better than he could, but she would still think of herself as more of a liability than a help.

After a few more minutes of running around the floor, Merlin sighed. "Must be on a lower level," the old man muttered to himself. Then he knelt to the ground and put his hand on the floor. A glowing, circular slab of energy cut through the cement and another hole appeared. Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped through it. Nomura blinked for several seconds before following. The floor she landed on looked like a mirror image of the floor above – all cement and gray steel that had supposedly gone out of style a century ago (she wondered just how old this facility was) covered by the light-gray plastifirm (she also wondered what mook came up with that name). It was supposed be more durable than most materials made a century ago. Against anything but Merlin's portals, that might actually be true.

"You didn't answer me!" she growled at the man, bringing her thoughts back to what was important.

Merlin sighed as he turned back and began to tromp down the long passageway that mimicked the one above. "Troll kind represents the last true stronghold of neutral magic on the Earth. Trolls, much like humans, can use light, dark or natural magic and for many different purposes. But unlike humans, trolls are innately magic. When trolls leave Earth... so does magic. Oh, not immediately, of course, but... it will fade. Eventually Avalon will no longer connect to Earth and we will be cut off completely."

Well, that was news to Nomura. She blinked and thought through those implications as she dodged incoming shots from several men with plasma rounds. She hated plasma rounds. Thankfully, a boom sounded and they met the same fate as those soldiers from before.

"Then why didn't you..." she stopped and then her gaze narrowed. "You selfish little... _you were keeping us here!_ You didn't want your source of power to leave, so you put it off! You put us all in danger! You're the reason we're here in the first place!"

It took all of her willpower to not jump forward and strangle the guy right then and there.

"It's not as simple as that!" he returned, but she didn't buy it for a moment. "In any case, I am here to rescue as many trolls as I can."

'_Too little, too late_,' Nomura thought again. Then the question of 'why' popped up again. Merlin never did anything unless it benefited him. That was just how he worked. Sometimes she wondered if he was really a changeling in some kind of disguise.

"So, why now?" she pressed. Then something caught her attention. "Behind us!"

Merlin turned and a blue mist shot out of his staff, blocking off view of the hall behind them completely, and the soldiers that had just rounded the corner. Then he nodded, turned and kept walking with that hurried pace of his.

"You're not getting out of it that easily. _Why now_? You could have left us all here and not wasted any energy. It would have even kept trolls on Earth longer. So why not just leave us to rot in our cells? And don't insult me by saying you actually care."

"Because I think I can prevent this."

Nomura froze, if only for the barest second. "What?"

"That is why I need to find the Trollhunter. I will send him to the past and with his future knowledge, he will stop this from happening."

That was too much for the changeling. Snarling, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt and then slammed him against the wall. "How much are you going to use that boy! You know how hard it's been for him! And you're going to send him into the past so he has to live through it all _again_?! I'm beginning to see little difference between you and Gunmar! Or worse, you and the humans who have trapped us all here!"

Merlin waved a hand as the sound of rushing footsteps reached them. Nomura didn't take her eyes off of the man in front of her. If they were going to die, then so be it, but she would have her answer. The soldiers chasing them cautiously stepped through Merlin's blue mist, and then gave a signal. A group of about twelve ran right by them. Must be a perception trick. Nice to know that could work on their new technology (because no soldier went around without some kind of enhanced vision these days).

Nomura didn't waver and Merlin didn't back down.

"What would you suggest?" he asked. "Trolls live on Earth for a _reason_. Their stone comes from the Earth, their food, their livelihood is all tied into the Earth. Even the Dark Lands were a proximity of Earth and it drove the gumm-gumms mad. I give it a couple of decades before the trolls either completely change in Avalon or die out."

"And with them, your magic!" Nomura didn't yell. She didn't need to. "You don't care for us, so don't pretend you do!"

"Yes," he replied through his teeth. "When trolls fade, there's a good chance the rest of Avalon will fade too! And no magic on the Earth could have dire effects for _all worlds _involved! That is why we must send Jim Lake back in time again!"

Nomura blinked. "What do you mean, _again_?" It was getting harder and harder to not just tear this guy's throat out.

"I read it in the Amulet. He's gone back once before, although it was more of a vision than an actual trip, but he's had experience."

She drew him forward, turned him around and slammed his back against the wall as more soldiers ran by them. She was glad they couldn't seem to hear the two of them as well.

"And you'll guilt trip him into doing what you want just like you've guilted him into doing everything else in his life that has almost _destroyed _him! But who cares as long as _you_ get to keep your powers!"

"It could save the world!"

"And it will _shatter_ him!"

Merlin glared at her angrily. Then he took a deep breath and his composure returned. "Do you want to rescue him or not?"

Ugh, she hated it when people used calm logic against her like that. She always had.

"This isn't over," she said, bringing him close. Then she released his shirt and he dropped to the floor, landing spryly on two feet. Then, without another word, he turned and began walking down the hallway again.

Angrily, Nomura followed him.

xXx

They found a couple more trolls that hadn't turned to stone before they found a particular room a couple of floors down. Walking in there made even Nomura sick. Troll parts had been littered around the room. Test tubes and jars of all sizes contained various stones in the shape of organs and eyes and limbs. A couple of them held mostly whole, unconscious but alive trolls, and she saw a couple more on tables or in some of the tubes, but most were stone. None of them responded. Merlin quickly sent the live ones to Avalon anyway.

And then they found him. Jim Lake, still in his Eclipse armor, lay on a table, ruined instruments littering the various surfaces around him. Judging from the scratches on the armor (and the fact that they _could _scratch it was kind of terrifying), they'd been trying to cut the amulet out of Jim altogether. She didn't doubt that they'd tried to cut other parts of his armor off as well, as he was now missing an arm. She saw it to one side, still stone and covered in the familiar armor, albeit a stone version of it.

There weren't any scientists, but there were guards. Thankfully, Merlin was able to make quick work of them.

"Jim!" Nomura cried as she rushed up to him. He didn't answer. "Hey, kid... come on, little Gynt."

She wasn't expecting a response, betting that they'd put him under (although how they had anything that would work like that on trolls, she didn't know) or that he was unconscious, but to her great surprise, his eyes slowly opened. She sucked in a breath at the almost gray, dull circles that found her. She could still see a hint of blue, but...

"N-nomura?" he asked. His voice sounded harsh and raw, and he coughed a little after he spoke.

"Hey there, little Gynt. Sorry it took so long."

"Nnn, hurt," he muttered, eyes closing again. "Lots." That worried her. He never spoke of how much something hurt...

"Don't worry. We'll get them for you," the changeling said, looking for ways to get off the shackles holding him to the table. They were made of the plastifirm over a metal alloy of some kind, and she couldn't pry them loose. Fortunately, Merlin had the answer yet again, and she wanted to tear him apart. If he could do this so easily, why had he let it go this far?!

"Come on, kid. Let's get you outta here," she said, reaching for him.

"No."

She paused, looking to him. He lifted his remaining arm weakly and pointed to his legs.

"Stone."

Ignoring her stomach sinking, she took a closer look at his legs and realized that they, like the arm that had been cut off, were slowly turning to stone. She could only stare at them, as if not believing what her eyes were telling her.

No. No, no, _no, No, NO!_ This couldn't be happening! This was Jim Lake! The human-turned-troll trollhunter who could outmaneuver anything! He had the amulet of Merlin _fused to him_ and his life had been dedicated to protecting them and he hadn't ever lost like this... _how could this happen?!_

"Nomura," his voice reached her again, and she looked over at him. "Run. Be safe."

And wasn't that so like him? Here he sat, _dying,_ and he was still so worried about the people around him.

She shook her head. "No, little Gynt. Not without you. It's about time I repaid my debt."

"It's okay," he said, giving her a comforting smile. "I'll get... to see Claire... again. And Toby. And... Mom." He frowned. "Probably not Strickler though."

Nomura let out a half-sob/half-laugh that she would deny to her dying breath.

"Is... that what you want, Jim?" she asked, using his given name.

He groaned a little. "'M tired."

She took a deep breath. "Then go to sleep."

"Sorry," he muttered. "'M I being selfish?"

"Nah," she responded, hoping she sounded more lighthearted than she felt.

"Jim, I can—" Merlin started, but Nomura turned and snarled at him. Surprised, he backed off.

"Who's that?" Jim asked, struggling to sit up.

Nomura shook her head, pushing him back down. "Just that idiot, Merlin."

"Oh," Jim responded. Then he sighed. "Gonna... sleep now."

The changeling nodded, forcing a smile onto her face that she hoped didn't look too fake or sharp. "Okay. You sleep now. You've earned it."

"Will be waiting... for you," he said as his eyes drifted closed again. "Be nice, k?"

"Goodbye, little Gynt."

"'Night, Nomura," he muttered as his breaths evened out again.

She just stood there for several seconds, noticing how at peace he looked for the first time in decades... if not longer.

"He isn't dead," Merlin said from behind her.

"Your point?"

"I could still send him back."

Her fists clenched. "I'm telling you, it will _break_ him... and I don't know if he'll be able to come back from it this time!"

"Of course he will! He's the Trollhunter!"

"That doesn't make him unbreakable! He isn't some perfect warrior for you to tear down and build up as you see fit!"

He glared at her from where he stood a couple of feet away while she shielded Jim. She was actually kind of thankful the ancient man wasn't just barging past her and insisting. Maybe he knew she wouldn't be kind to him if he tried. Although it seemed he could use magic to easily subdue her.

"Why don't you just go back?" she asked him angrily.

He frowned, frustrated. "I've tried. It doesn't work. I'm guessing my enchanted sleep prevents me from returning to my old body, and I cannot send a whole body back. It has to be Jim, and it will take me a little while to cast the spell. I need you to watch my back as I perform the ritual."

Hence why he hadn't sent her away.

She _really_ hated this guy right now.

"You have the glamor you used to hide us before. Why not just use that now?"

"I could, but I can't use any concentration to keep it up as I'll be focusing on the spell that will, you know, save the world!"

Nomura snorted. Like he wanted to save the world. No, he just wanted the fame from such an act.

Then something occurred to her, and an idea came to her... an idea she did not like. An idea that made her want to shake the Trollhunter and curse him for having somehow burrowed his way into her heart. Before him, she hadn't even known she'd_ had_ a heart.

But it would be for him. It might save him some pain and heartache... and it would definitely let him rest... finally.

"Do you have to send the Trollhunter?"

Merlin frowned. "Well, he would be in the best position to—"

Clatters and clangs sounded from behind them and they both turned to face the door. They couldn't see it, but it would only be a matter of seconds before they would be spotted.

The old wizard clenched his teeth and said a spell, dragging Nomura to the side.

"I'm guessing the glamor spell is stationary," she said dryly.

"It's the most stable of the glamor spells. At least of those that can turn one invisible."

"And stop others from overhearing us too, I see."

"Don't move outside of it, or you'll disrupt it." It was invisible. So he was saying she couldn't move more or less at all.

Nomura felt a growl build in her throat, but she stayed put. "So, you want to send Little Gynt back, and you can't send yourself back, and I don't want you to put him through that again—" So she'd grown a little softer over the years. It was a luxury she'd rather liked when living in New Trollmarket.

"It would save his life!"

"He doesn't want you to save it!"

Merlin's mouth closed with a clop and he stared at Nomura, eyes wide and disbelieving. The changeling sighed and rubbed her forehead. It didn't do anything because she was a troll, but it was something she'd picked up as a human and hadn't ever bothered to break.

"He's tired and he's given you everything he has. Can't you just... let him go? He longs for his family, and as much as the trolls eventually accepted him, they were never his family. Besides Blinky and Aaarrrggh, I doubt they ever will be."

The soldiers were swarming around them, but no one saw them, and the magic nudged the humans into avoiding the area where she and Merlin talked – at the foot of the table where Jim still lay, strapped.

"But then who would I send..." Merlin faded off as realization hit him. "No. That is not viable!"

"Why?" Nomura returned, practically hissing, "because I'm an untrustworthy changeling? I haven't even been able to change forms in almost two centuries! I hate Gunmar more than any other enemy – humans included – and I was around and awake at the time you're aiming for."

"You won't be in the right position to do anything!"

"I'll be smack in the middle of the Janus Order! I'll be in a prime position to do something!"

"He's turning to stone! Like the others!" someone yelled. Nomura and Merlin turned to look at Jim and the person in a white lab-coat standing over him, a pair of enhanced observation glasses on their head.

"Get that amulet off of it!" another person yelled. "Before that turns to stone too!"

"Too late!" the lab assistant who had been trying to get the amulet off in one final attempt drew their hands back quickly as the transitioning stone reached it, and swept over it, turning the amulet and armor itself into stone as well.

Merlin's mouth set in a grim line. "And thus ends the line of Trollhunters."

"Looks like you don't have much of a choice now," Nomura pointed out, trying to ignore how her heart had broken into pieces at the sight of Jim Lake Jr.'s statue.

The old man grit his teeth and stayed quiet for several seconds. Then he turned to her with a snap.

"Fine, but there are some things you need to know, and I need your word that you'll do them!"

Nomura's lips lengthened into a sharp smile. "You have it."

He recast the glamor shield before stepping forward and drawing some runes on her skin. Of course, _he_ could move, but she couldn't. Nomura just rolled her eyes and let him do what he needed to do. She wasn't about to antagonize him more when she'd just won her argument. Now was not the time.

Then summoned his staff out of the air again and began to chant. The magic in the room began to rise. Then Merlin touched his staff to each of the runes he'd drawn on her skin – two on each arm, one on her forehead, one at the base of her neck, one on her stomach and one on each knee. Every time the staff touched the runes the magical aura thickened. Even some of the soldiers and scientists who were discussing Jim's body began to realize something was up.

Finally, Merlin touched the last rune on her knee and left the staff there. He finished chanting (in a language Nomura didn't know, so she assumed it was a magical thing) and then raised his staff high above his head. He must have broken the illusion bubble because Nomura heard everyone there gasp. But then the magic exploded and she knew no more.

xXx

Nomura wished she could close her eyes... but at this point, she wasn't sure she had any. Eyes, eyelids... nothing. She didn't think she had any physical features... which was probably a good thing because a headache would be the least of her worries right now. And she would most definitely have a headache.

Colors (some of which she wasn't sure actually _existed_) and shades and light and dark all swirled past her at blinding speeds. Each had its own complicated emotions. Each faded into the next so quickly she couldn't process it... it was too much. She tried to shut it out, but had no real way to do so... and it _pulled _at her, in all directions. She was sure it would tear her apart! So... overwhelming... too... much...

No! She had to do this! For Jim. She _had_ to hold on for the little brat who had done so much for her – for everyone. She couldn't let go of that, despite the maelstrom around her trying to tear her down. She refused!

So she did the mental equivalent of gritting her teeth and pushed on, focusing on the end goal – on Jim and Trollmarket. If the maelstrom took some of her with it, then so be it, but she would return and repay her debt!

She pressed on.

xXx

Nomura forced her eyes open and groaned, sitting up in her... rather soft... bed. Gasping, she slapped her hands to her stomach and then neck and face and arms... Her hands met _flesh_, not stone. She looked down and stared in disbelief.

She was _human_ again...

Well, in her human body.

Hurriedly, she scrambled for and grabbed the phone from the side of the table, flipping it on. Such an old, clunky thing, these smartphones. Then her grin came back in full force. It was even earlier than she'd expected.

She went over the list of things Merlin had made her promise to do before stretching her arms above her head and grinned. Too bad she'd never had an issue with outright lying.

xXx

AN: So, mainly canon pairings if any. Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

The day Nomura woke up in the past was the day she did something she'd never done before: she called in late to work. She didn't even remember the name of the man who had answered the phone, but he assured her that he could open the museum and get it ready for the day without her.

She thanked him tersely – it was as pleasant as she dared right now – before putting the phone away and peering around a bush at the house across the street and down just a little ways. It was an old, familiar house. One that she hadn't seen in over a hundred years. Once she'd left her apartment this morning, she'd headed straight here because she _had _to see for herself. She had to make sure he was alright.

The sun was rising. She didn't have much time and would have to change into her human guise soon, but if someone got incredibly lucky and managed to glimpse her, she could get away faster in this form. Not to mention, she'd spent the last 200 years of her memories in this form. It was more comfortable and reassuring to her.

Thankfully, this form also tended to help her keep calmer and steadier. She was more powerful like this, and part stone – not the racing, pulsing lifeblood of a human. That trait tended to make both trolls and changelings (in troll form) able to sit as still as literal statues for hours on end. Soft, human bodies couldn't do that. Not comfortably and not without practice. She didn't have that practice anymore, and right now, she needed that ability. She'd already waited for almost an hour with nothing really changing. Within the last twenty minutes or so she could make out movement inside the house, so someone had to be there, but they hadn't left yet. She took a deep breath but otherwise didn't move. They had to come out _some time_. With her eyes alone, she glanced at her phone, situated in her utterly still hand. Almost 7:34. What time was school for this kid? Shouldn't it be starting soon?

Still, she was nothing if not patient, and also determined to wait and make sure everything was alright here without raising suspicion. So she fell back on centuries of experience and simply waited.

Another ten minutes passed before the door _finally _opened and a very harried-looking Dr. Lake strode out behind a little ball of energy who ran to the old, blue car, his backpack bouncing around like it didn't actually have anything in it.

At first, all the changeling could do was breathe a sigh of relief. But almost immediately after, Nomura really _understood_ how far back she'd come, because while she had very little experience with the human whelp's growth patterns, she was sure this kid's age couldn't have reached double digits yet. He was so... _young. _By Daya's grace... she couldn't do anything with or for him _now_! If she so much as looked at him wrong, he could break! He was so... fragile.

This had been a bad idea... she needed to leave...

And yet, she couldn't seem to make her feet move. So instead, she continued to hide and watched as Jim Lake Jr. rushed around to the driver's side of the old car and opened the door for his mother.

The moment Barbara saw, her worry lines melted into an adoring, if somewhat sad, smile. "Oh, Jim... thank you. My little gentleman," she said as she bent down and kissed the top of his head. Nomura had seen children protest their mother's treatment of them (not that she blamed them – two centuries around Jim Lake Jr. and she _still_ couldn't fathom the nastiness that was kissing), and half expected Jim to do the same. He didn't. Instead he _preened_ like he'd been given the worlds most precious gift as his mother got into the car and closed the door behind her.

Nomura snorted softly. Even at this age he was just too pure for this world.

Before the door was completely shut, Jim ran around the back of the vehicle to the other side. Before he reached for the car door handle, he paused and looked around, frowning. Then he turned towards Nomura, expression wary and eyes searching. She knew she was well hidden, but she still double checked – made sure her eyes weren't glowing, made sure she didn't move a centimeter and held her breath as she watched. Heh. Maybe that's why this kid was chosen. Even at this age, he seemed to have a sixth sense.

His mother starting the car seemed to snap him back to the task at hand, and he quickly climbed into the car beside Barbara, strapping himself into the booster seat Nomura could see there before closing the door.

"Is everything o—" Barbara started, and that was all the changeling heard before the door's closing cut her off. A couple of seconds later, they backed out of the driveway and headed down the street, right past where Nomura was hiding. She could see Jim looking out the window.

He must have caught something because for an instant, his eyes widened and his head turned to stare at her... _again_.

And that was her cue to leave. Actually, she'd probably overstayed her welcome.

The moment the Lake car was out of sight, she'd bounded across the house's backyard and over the Fence and leaping through the other people's property before finding a nice grove of trees. Then, she slowly stepped out and onto the streets in her human guise, carefully checking around her to make suer she hadn't been spotted. When she was sure she was fine, she glanced at her phone again.

Hey, she might not be early to work, but if she hurried, she could be on time.

Jim was here and safe and for now, that was what mattered. She'd figure out exactly how to work out her plans later, once she'd wrapped her head around her most recent revelation.

xXx

Bular was an idiot.

Not that Nomura hadn't known that before, but now she had the misfortune of witnessing his bumbling mess of interactions and plans first hand. She was forced to see once again just how badly the changelings had messed up, falling into support behind this... _sheep_. None of his actions really spoke of independent thought, not really. He just believed in Daddy's ideal and went with it because it was the only way he knew to live (and probably because he liked the taste of humans – thinking with his stomach, as it were). He didn't _want_ to see another way, and so wasn't open to new ideas – even ones that could benefit the gumm-gumms. And because he was the 'pure' troll, of course his way was the best way.

Never mind that his way had the changelings scrambling to cover his tracks, or the fact that the humans of even this day and age _could_ band together and be just as dangerous as the humans in the future if trolls were discovered. He must have _some_ knowledge of this, seeing as he didn't blatantly out himself, but he also seemed convinced that it was only because of daylight – that once his daddy came back (and consequently, once the 'eternal night' fell, although he didn't speak of that, so perhaps he was even more of an idiot than she'd given him credit for) he could very well take on the entire human race himself and _win_.

Perhaps that was what made his attitude so... utterly _frustrating_. He wasn't just an idiot, he was a _pompous_ idiot. She'd go so far as to say Narcissistic as it pertained to troll psychology.

Since her return from the future, she'd had to deal with him a total of once, and that was by far too often. Why had she wanted a position in Arcadia Oaks? For the prestige? For the respect it was supposed to bring? It was honestly so long ago that she couldn't actually remember the nuances, although she could make some good guesses.

She'd worked at the Arcadia Oaks museum for almost a decade before Jim Lake Jr. picked up the Trollhunter's medallion the first time. Thankfully, she'd arrived in the past within that time period, so she didn't have to worry about blackmailing and murdering her way into the supposedly 'coveted' position. At least she also actually _liked_ human art. Her job made some sense. Not that sense had ever really been a big part of the Janus Order... She remembered working hard to get into the upper echelons of the Order, craving the power over others simply so she could feel as if she had some power over her own life. What a fool she'd been. If anything, the position had made her even _more_ of a target than before and _then_ she also had to deal with the brute that was their supposed leader.

Almost two centuries, it seemed, had dulled her memories of the _ridiculousness_ that was Bular and his brute-force... _everything_. Oh, he was no push over, for sure. The troll could strategize a war or a battle or even a one-on-one fight and do so well. He also had clear goals and experience that he put to good use. She could very truthfully describe Bular as arrogant, bloodthirsty and animalistic, even, but only outside of battle. One would think he would become more animal-like in the heat of battle, but for some reason, Bular seemed to do the opposite. It made him unpredictable and all the more dangerous in Nomura's opinion.

But being a good strategist didn't make him a good _leader_. And he was still an idiot. Mainly because he treated _everything_ as if it were a a battle, and just couldn't seem to see the bigger picture. Thankfully, for Trollmarket, he was as often a hinderance as he was a help.

The order had already begun to assemble the pieces of Killihead bridge, but it would be years before all the pieces were collected. And with Bular in charge, it was no wonder. Of course, the assembly of the portal had been the main reason the position as museum curator had 'opened' to begin with. The fact that the previous curator had mysteriously disappeared (likely inside Bular's stomach) was still something that people discussed years later.

Which was what Nomura found herself 'discussing' with some local business owners and politicians at a party scheduled for the second weekend after she'd arrived back in time. In all honesty she hadn't wanted to spend her second Friday night mingling with a bunch of lame humans. That was another thing she'd forgotten: just how absolutely _boring_ people could be.

"I hear the case is still ongoing," one woman said conspiratorially. "They have some evidence of _foul play_."

"I doubt that," a round man with dark skin and a bald head said skeptically. "Mr. Robbins was one of the shiest people I ever met. It was kind of a shock when he managed to get the position as curator. Who would want to kill him?"

"Well, he did keep a rather tight ship," Nomura said as she sipped a drink and tried not to just _revel_ in it. It had been so long since she'd tasted something this subtle and actually enjoyed it. That was one thing both she and Jim had reminisced about – food. Eventually, he'd gotten to where he could whip up some pretty amazing troll dishes, but it wasn't the same and they both knew it. She refused to let the memory distract her though. "I was rather pleased when I found everything so neatly organized. I would have liked to meet him."

Lies. She honestly couldn't care less. The two humans she was speaking to didn't catch on (they never did) and nodded in agreement.

Of course, that's when a flash of red hair caught her attention and she turned. To her surprise (a pleasant one, for once), Barbara Lake was there, dressed up and looking like she really wanted to be somewhere else. Nomura could relate.

"Oh, look at that. I just saw someone I would like to speak to," she said to her current companions, grateful to find a reason to get away. "If you will excuse me, please."

"Of course," they both said, graciously, taking the opportunity to turn and find someone else to speak to themselves. Nomura made her way over to the refreshment table to find Barbara scrutinizing more or less everything in front of her.

"It is a rather poor selection," the changeling commented, seeing the varieties of finger-sandwiches, breads and vegetables. They had some fruits too, but very little that really appealed to her. It looked like Barbara felt similarly.

"I was just looking for something a little... healthier," the doctor protested, her face a little red from being caught scrutinizing the free food.

"Well, they did have fruits and I know there are some vegetables left," Nomura replied, pointing to the end of the table and noting that the trays there had been picked over far more than just about anything else.

"Oh, thank you, Ms...?"

"Nomura," the changeling held out her hand and smiled a genuine smile. The first one she'd given this evening. "Zelda Nomura. Museum curator."

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Nomura. I'm Dr. Barbara Lake."

The changeling nodded to the end of the table and a place a little further out of the way where they could talk. Barbara acquiesced and they moved just a couple of feet down to the relative privacy, the doctor bravely picking up a few items on their way.

"I thought I recognized you from my visits to the hospital a couple of times," Nomura replied, letting the lie slip easily from her lips. "Not that I visit often."

"I certainly hope not," Barbara replied.

Nomura shrugged. "I just wanted to actually meet you. It's nice to see a familiar face here."

"Oh?" the red-head looked surprised. "Don't you know most of these people here?"

"Not really," the black-haired woman replied. "I'm still fairly new around here. Transferred from across the country a couple of years ago and haven't had the most time to interact."

"It is a rather small-knit community," Barbara said sympathetically. "Where did you transfer from?"

"New York... the state, not the city. I ran a small museum outside of the city where I worked since I graduated from college." At least that's what her resume said. She'd made sure she had her story straight as soon as she'd gotten to work that first day.

"What made you decide to come all the way over here?" the doctor asked, and Nomura was happy to see the genuine curiosity. Like mother like son, she supposed.

"Who doesn't dream of going to California once in their life?" the changeling answered. "Besides, I was looking for a change. I didn't have many friends and no family, so there was little keeping me back there."

And there was the pity she hated from more or less anyone but Jim. No, scratch that, she hated it from Jim too, but just saw it so often that she'd gotten used to it.

"It's really nothing," she assured the other woman with a wave of her hand, and decided that a topic change was in order. "What about yourself?"

"Oh, I have family up state. Moved here when I got an internship at the hospital that practically guaranteed a job once I graduated school. Haven't left since."

"I'm guessing you graduated then?"

Barbara nodded as she took a sip of her own drink. "Oh, yes. I've been a resident doctor for the last two years, and have been working at the hospital for almost six. Moved here just after my son turned two."

And there was something she could grab onto. "Your son?"

"Oh, yes. Jim," the doctor said, her eyes lighting up. That expression took ten years off of her face. "He's eight now. Will be nine in a couple of months. A mother couldn't ask for a better child. He's so mature for his age, always looking out for others," she said, smiling fondly.

"A real hero in the making, huh?" Nomura asked, a nostalgic smile crossing her own lips.

"He's my hero now."

Nomura had always liked Barbara. For a weak human, she'd been a very stalwart individual. But now she couldn't help as her respect went up even further. No wonder Jim had turned out as he had with such a great example to follow.

"You must be very proud."

"Oh, I am. It's just..." she faded off and shook her had as if to dismiss the thought.

"It's just what?" the changeling pressed gently. She was actually proud of herself. Normally she didn't do gentle.

Barbara blinked and glanced over at her as if assessing her for just a moment, but must have seen something in Nomura she liked or trusted because she decided to finish the thought.

"Like I said, he's so mature. He's eight... and he already cleans the house without being asked because otherwise it just won't get done. I just don't have the time to really do anything other than a little tidying up here and there with my new work schedule. I'm kind of lucky to get the sleep I do. He's taken on so much and I just wish he could have a normal childhood."

"I take it his father isn't in the picture."

A pained look came over Barbara's face. "No," she said quietly.

Well, that did it. If Nomura ever met Jim's father, she'd take great pleasure in relieving his body of his head.

"He shouldn't _have_ to be so mature," Barbara practically whispered. Nomura wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear that.

"I knew someone like that once," she said anyway. "One of the few people I respected. This world isn't good enough for such pure hearts."

The doctor looked up at her companion. "What happened to them? If I may ask."

Normally, depending on what form she had at the moment, when someone asked her something sensitive, she'd politely let them know it was personal or she'd tell them where to go and how to get there with her blades. But this was Jim's mother, and the changeling thought she deserved to know, even if she'd never know it was her son Nomura was talking about.

The changeling took a steadying breath. "He became a soldier and was assigned to protect a community. He did a phenomenal job of it until he was captured, tortured and killed. By that point... his death was a mercy." The mental image of Jim's body slowly turning to stone before her very eyes took over her vision, and that quickly, she wasn't at a social gathering anymore, but in that blasted facility almost two centuries in the future.

A sharp intake of breath brought her out of her memories and she glanced up to see that Barbara's face had gone pale. She had a hand over her mouth and was looking at Nomura with a mix of horror and sadness. It wasn't quite the pity she hated so much, but it was close enough (and just as painful).

"I'm so sorry," Barbara said softly.

"It is what it is," Nomura replied, almost hating how coldly her voice came out.

Almost.

Barbara took the hint and changed the subject.

"What about you, then? Do you have any children?"

Ah, yes, that was safer and far less painful ground. She still snorted. "No. I'm married to my work. Probably why I don't have a social life."

"I certainly understand that. This is the first social gathering I've been to in..." she faded off, thinking, "I can't remember when. My boss practically demanded I come to this tonight. Something about getting away from work and home."

"As if we actually have time for something like this," Nomura replied, emptying her cup. "But the museum had to be represented, and I'm not cruel enough to make my assistants come instead... well, I wasn't this time."

Barbara nodded, giving her plate a rather disgusted look.

"That bad, huh?" the changeling asked, nodding to the focus of the other woman's attention.

The red-head sighed and nodded. "Isn't party food supposed to be better than this?"

"I wouldn't know."

Barbara sent her a small smile, then something seemed to occur to her. "I think I'm done with this party and I want to get some real food. Would you like to join me? There's a Zupas a couple of blocks down."

If it were Jim, Nomura would find a way to tease him about ditching an awkward situation. She found that urge to do the same to his mother right now and couldn't help it.

"Are you asking me on a date, Dr. Lake?"

Barbara looked surprised and then her face flushed as she shook her head. "Oh, no! I didn't mean to imply that at all! I'm sorry! I mean, I don't swing that way... I mean if you do, that's fine and you... um... I didn't mean to imply that... and... that didn't come out like I wanted it to..."

Nomura couldn't help bursting into laughter. After a couple of seconds, she got herself under control and grinned at the still red-faced woman.

"I think we'll get along just fine. And sure. I put up an appearance here. Let's go get some real food and then I can get back to work."

Barbara smiled and they made their way to the hostess separately and made their excuses. Nomura found Dr. Lake in front of the house the party had been held at.

"Did you drive here?" Barbara asked.

"I usually just take public trans," Nomura replied with a wave of her hand.

"Ah. Well, if we're going to be going to eat, I do need to pick up my son. Is that alright?"

It was better than alright. It was... actually bordering on too good to be true. She was sent back in time to help the Trollhunter, even if he wasn't the Trollhunter yet. She hadn't expected to be able to insert herself in his life at all right now. And yet... she wasn't about to say no either.

"Sure."

"That's my car, then," Barbara said as she pointed to a the old, blue hunk of junk Nomura had seen during her self-assigned reconnaissance mission the other day.

Nomura nodded and slipped into the car. A couple of seconds later, Barbara joined her and they drove off down the street with the changeling thinking that the Lakes were entirely too trusting.

xXx

"Jim," Barbara said as her son jogged up to where they'd parked in front of the Lake household. She got out and walked around to hug her son.

"Hi, mom! You said we're going out, right? What happened to your party?"

"Yup. And what happened is that they had food there that isn't much better than mine."

Jim looked horrified and Nomura had to hide a snicker.

"Who's that?" the boy asked, noticing the movement.

"Jim, this is Ms. Zelda Nomura. She's going to join us."

"Oh, okay," he said and held out his hand to her. She reached out of the window she'd rolled down and grinned at him as she took his hand, awkward as it was, and shook it.

"You can call me Ms. Nomura or Nomura."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Nomura," Jim said with a bright smile that she hadn't seen on his face in decades.

That was the first time she questioned as to whether or not she should let this innocent boy become the Trollhunter at all. It wouldn't be the last.

xXx

"I hear you left the social early," said a familiar voice as Nomura stepped into the otherwise closed Museum.

She scowled at where the voice had come from and her eyes met the glowing gaze of Stricklander. He stood over in the corner, leaning casually against the wall. Well, it seemed they'd be having that 'talk' after all.

"Yes. And?"

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because they had lousy food and lousy company except for one other person."

"You were there to socialize."

"And I did. Faked out a human enough that she invited me to dinner."

Stricklander raised an eyebrow in surprise. "As in a date?"

Nomura snorted. "No. Just as in good company. Well, for a human. They aren't trolls or robots, Stricklander. To keep up a decent facade, I have to seem human too. Even for a workaholic."

The other changeling's eyes narrowed. "You aren't getting... attached, are you?"

This time it took every ounce of will to not roll her eyes. The hypocrite, seeing as he'd _married_ this woman in the future.

"Please," she said. "I just like a decent conversation that doesn't involve unsubstantiated gossip. We grabbed some decent food and then I came back."

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She'd spent a lot of time talking to Jim and Barbara. Actually, she'd tried to seem interested in little Jim's life, humoring him as best she could without sounding too condescending (hopefully). He was a child and thus boring, but she still figured it would be good blackmail material. Barbara had been entertaining to talk to as well, just discussing random things that had nothing to do with politics or rumors or trolls or humans... just kids and lives and they'd let her go off on a good 20 minute geek-out session (even she couldn't pretend it was otherwise) about pottery and art history and the significance it had on society. She'd slipped up a little here and there, inserting more modern culture into the discussion, but had been able to pass it off as misspeaks. All in all, it had been a pleasant end to an otherwise rough night.

"Hmm. Very well, then. Just be careful, Nomura. Order ranks aren't exactly stable..." With that warning, the other changeling threw open his wings, turned and jumped through the window, soaring up and into the night.

"Says the man who's recklessly flying around," Nomura grumbled. Then she sighed and went over to close the window.

Tomorrow would be her busiest day of the week, but after that she could finally sit down and plan. For now, though, her human body needed rest and she had no reason to refuse it. After placing her leftovers in the little fridge she kept in her work room, next to the cot that she'd set up, she went through her nightly routine and went to bed.

xXx

AN: I'm a pretty hard core BarbaraxStrickler shipper, so no, this isn't going there.

Sorry this took so long to get out. Been working on other fics. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know!


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